


I will soften every edge

by SlyKing



Series: 50 Kisses Challenge [4]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: 50 kisses challenge, Comfort, Fluff, Grumpy Jimmy Kent, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Jimmy, Where It Hurts, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:26:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlyKing/pseuds/SlyKing
Summary: Jimmy doesn’t like winter, and the cold brings back painful memories to Thomas.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Jimmy Kent
Series: 50 Kisses Challenge [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013721
Kudos: 20





	I will soften every edge

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at the Thommy, I’m so excited!
> 
> 0 Kisses Challenge - 4. Where it hurts

_Damn it!_ Jimmy hangs up at the door at the very last moment not to spread out on the ground. He clenched his teeth so as not to let an oath escape. He really didn't like winter; it was cold, the ground was slippery, and Christmas thanks, but no thanks! He found the parties depressing, why rejoice? He had no family left, no one to celebrate with. Where others dreamed, sang, he saw only a long succession of constraints. After all, who needed to buy presents by shivering? A sigh came out of his lips and he put a lock of his hair back in place before entering the kitchen. Mrs. Patmore had made tea for all the staff. Hot tea to conclude a good day’s work. That wasn’t so bad, after all. Maybe the only good thing about winter. That and the hot chocolates. But Jimmy loved the summer, the warm seasons, and the dreams of escape that went with it.

Jimmy sat down at the table next to Thomas and breathed a sigh of relief. The day was finally over! He had run everywhere for the preparations and felt exhausted. In addition, the bad weather did not help. He raised his head and it was by crossing the amused look of his friend - no, his _partner_ , now - that he realized one thing: he would not be alone, this year, to celebrate Christmas. He blinked at himself with this remark. This year he had Thomas. He bit the inside of his cheeks not to smile and turned his head, embarrassed. It had been a few months now that they had cleared the air. Since the fair, their friendship had only grown and, inevitably… But anyway, he didn’t want to go back to that. He was happy like that, and he had to admit that his relationship with Thomas brought him a lot of happiness and lightness. They got along very well - perfectly well, actually. It was terrifying, of course, but wasn’t Jimmy a bravado guy? … No. Not really. It was just an image. He feared that we would end up surprising them, he feared being sent back or going to prison. And yet, here it was… And every minute spent with Thomas was a minute won. And he wanted to smile like an idiot…

The idea of spending a Christmas with someone makes him happy. He drank a small sip of tea before turning his head to Thomas, to start the conversation. But he did not say a word and remained with his mouth ajar. The face of the Under-Butler was paler than usual, and he seemed very dark, as if lost in his thoughts. His jaw was contracted and he answered Diasy dry when she asked him a question. Thomas was always on the defensive, like a wounded animal, when something upset him, or he felt vulnerable. Jimmy closed his mouth and remained silent. For now.

He waited until everyone went to bed. Thomas had gone up earlier than usual, and he usually stayed with Jimmy as long as possible. The young man sneaked out of his room, taking heed of the slightest sound, the slightest cracking, and entered Thomas’s room. He was there, in his pajamas, sitting at the edge of his bed, his eyes in the wave. Jimmy leaned against the closed door and leaned his head slightly to the side. He murmured:

"Good evening, Mr. Barrow." with a teasing look.

Thomas turned his head in his direction and his face lit up a little when he saw him. This was almost always the case; as soon as Thomas laid eyes on him, he seemed to be facing the eighth wonder of the world. But his smile was weak tonight. Jimmy approached and sat beside him.

“You’re going to tell me what’s wrong?”  
“And who says something is wrong?”  
"Oh, please." Jimmy rolled his eyes. Thomas looked smug but did not insult his intelligence by denying the facts. Instead, he mumbled:  
“Nothing. My hand hurts, that’s all. And it brings back bad memories.”  
“Oh.”

Jimmy didn't go to the front during the war. He did not know what Thomas had experienced, could only imagine it. They did not talk much about it. With a gentleness that did not often resemble him, Jimmy took Thomas' wounded hand in his own.

'Can I?' he asked. 

Thomas simply nodded. Jimmy discovered the wound. It wasn’t that bad. Scars surrounded the old wound but his hand had healed well.

“It doesn’t usually hurt you, does it?”  
“No. It’s the cold. It throws me a little bit.”  
“Ah, I see…" 

Jimmy put the palm to his lips and laid down a kiss. Thomas looked at him with round eyes, surprised by this gesture. But Jimmy guessed that he was also very touched by it, by the way his eyes shone with such a special intensity. So he laid more kisses on the old wound before gently shaking his hand in his own and laying his head on Thomas' solid shoulder. A small laugh escaped from the lips of the Under-Butler who, meanwhile, laid a kiss on the young man’s forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered in the blond locks. Thomas’s breath was warm.

Jimmy straightened his head to lay a kiss on Thomas’s lips and their two bodies came closer and touched each other. Jimmy put his arms around his partner’s neck and gave him an angelic smile of which only he had the secret.

"I really don’t like winter," he muttered. “I almost fell at least ten times today, and then all those happy faces, I really don’t see why…”  
“I like winter. I’ve always felt more comfortable… Well, now it brings back memories, but... Other than that, it’s pretty nice.”  
Jimmy made a slight grin before smiling.  
“At least this year I have a reason to celebrate Christmas. And give someone a gift.”

Thomas glanced at him so surprised, so uncertain, that Jimmy’s heart pressed in his chest.

“I’m talking about you, obviously, for the gift. But don’t expect anything too expensive, I spent money the other night at the pub…”  
"Ah! I thought, what a generosity, Mr. Kent…" a little laugh escaped from the lips of Thomas who kissed him again with infinite sweetness. “I don’t expect a gift. I’ve already had the best gift…”  
“It’s silly.” Jimmy grimaced again but his smile was too silly itself to go unnoticed. He therefore leaned against Thomas so that he would no longer have to look at him and closed his eyes.

A year ago, he could never have thought that his life would take such a turn... But a year ago, was he really happy?


End file.
